While the Forest department has intensified combing operations to capture wild elephant Belur Makhna, which killed a farmer at Chaligahddha in Wayanad district a week ago, an employee of the Kuruva Dweep eco-tourism centre in Wayanad who was injured in an attack by a wild elephant on Friday morning succumbed to his injuries later in the day.
The deceased was identified as Paul, 52, of Vellachalil at Pakkom, near Pulpally, in the district. Paul was a temporary guide at the tourism centre of the Forest department under the South Wayanad Forest division.
The incident occurred around 9.30 a.m. while he was on duty at the eco-tourism centre at Cheriyamala Junction. The elephant that attacked him fled after a group of MGNREGS workers in the vicinity raised an alarm. Though Paul was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital at Mananthavady and later to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, he succumbed to his injuries.
Preliminary reports revealed that internal injuries were the cause of death. An autopsy would be performed on Saturday. It was reported that an air ambulance was brought to Mananthavady to shift Paul to Kozhikode, but he was shifted to the hospital by road on an ICU ambulance.
Hartal call today
Three persons have been killed in separate elephant attacks in the district since January 30 this year. Lakshmanan, a tribal worker at Tholpetty, was killed on January 30 and Ajeesh of Panachiyil, a farmer at Chaligaddha, was killed in wild elephant attacks on February 10.
The BJP, UDF, and LDF called for a separate dawn-to-dusk hartal on Saturday in the district seeking a permanent solution to protect the lives and properties of the public from recurring wildlife attacks.
Order to capture tiger
Meanwhile, the Chief Wildlife Warden issued an order to tranquillize and capture the elusive tiger that reportedly killed two domestic animals in Pulpally and release it into the wild, if healthy. The Forest department officials had set up three cages to capture it and installed nearly 16 cameras to monitor its movement in three different sites. The warden instructed in his order that the operation should be done only after identifying the big cat.
